


Bleeding Hearts

by sleepymery



Series: ASCE [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Breaking Up & Making Up, Drama & Romance, Feels, I'm Bad At Summaries, M/M, Separation Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 14:46:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17603336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepymery/pseuds/sleepymery
Summary: Ace and Sabo has a fight for the first time ever, and Sabo just has enough. Ace doesn’t know what to do, because for once, he admits he’s fucked up big time. They are hurting, and they just want to be away and to stay. They need each other, even when everything is falling down.





	Bleeding Hearts

Ace is tired. He doesn’t know what to do, and he feels hopeless. He also feels like shit right now. He feels like breaking down. His mind keeps telling him to let things go because there’s nothing he can do to make it better anyway, so he might as well move on. But he can’t, his heart refuses to let go. It clenches painfully in his chest every time he thinks of moving on just to get the burden off his mind. But he really can’t stop thinking about it.

 

First of all, he knows that he’s the one that fucked up the most. True, the other party also has his part in getting things spiraling out of control, but Ace knows that he’s just being a stubborn prick that has pride bigger than the universe. He has reasons not to say sorry, always has one, but he usually gets away with it.

 

Not this time, it seems. Because his partner seems to disagree with him on this one, and somehow, amidst the argument, that one thing led to the other things unmentioned in the past, and his anger was rising up without stopping. Now that Ace thinks about it, it resembles the picture of a breaking dam. Like there have been so many bad things being restrained in favor of keeping things to stay peaceful and happy, when suddenly a very bad issue came up to destroy the wall and things were just pouring out relentlessly.

 

And now that person is leaving him. For the first time ever, they had a fight so big that his best friend, his roommate, his partner in crime, his sunshine, his lover, his _everything_ just decides that he has enough of him. Because Ace never changes, stubbornly being the hot-headed, prideful, selfish, fool person that he is. Even though he has such a perfect partner by his side. Not that he has him still. Because he’s so utterly alone.

 

The ringtone coming from his phone sitting on the table in front of him startles him from his silent musing. Looking at the caller id he wonders why Luffy calls. Because Luffy never calls him. Luffy always calls Sabo, never Ace.

 

He picks up the call and said, not bothering to conceal the exhaustion in his voice, “You never called me before, little brother? Something the matter?”

 

“Yeah, something big happens, brother. And I hate it, I just have to call you and tell you how big of a jerk you are now,” Luffy replied without stopping a beat. He seems genuinely pissed.

 

 _Ouch_.

 

Ace lets out a tired sigh. “Yeah, I know.”

 

Luffy huffs. “You know? Then why?”

 

Ace thinks before he speaks, “Because I messed up big time. And not just this time. He’s been holding up with me practically since forever, even longer than the first time you and I met. I… I just- I don’t know what to do, Luffy. I think it’s too late.” He grits his teeth as he says it, because he realizes that he _is_ too late now.

 

The line goes silent. Ace almost thinks Luffy hanging up on him when the younger brother speaks up again, “He still loves you regardless.”

 

Ace is close to denying it, because there’s just _no way_ Sabo can still love him after all this time, but Luffy beats him to it, “How about you? Do you?”

 

Ace is stunted. He grabs his hair hard then drags his hand down his face, feeling frustrated more than ever. He replies with a weak voice, “I do. I still do, always do.”

 

“Then it’s never too late. Talk with him. He’s hurting because of you, but he’s hurting more without you. He’s on his way there. This time, don’t mess up. Please. Both of you deserves to be happy. Bye, Ace,” Luffy says before hanging up immediately, not waiting for a reply.

 

Ace is in a state of pure confusion. _What? He’s on his way? Huh? What-_

 

_Ding dong!_

 

The sound of the bell coming from the front door jerks him out of his stupor. _Wait wait wait—he’s already here?!_

 

He removes himself from the kitchen and walks to the front door. He notices belatedly that his hands are sweating profusely now. He licks his dry lips nervously. Then he opens the door.

 

There he is standing, the most outstanding person Ace has ever had to meet. Sabo. _His Sabo_. And he’s currently mad at him. For the first time ever. And despite the talk just seconds earlier, he still clueless of what to do.

 

Sabo meets his eyes, but the expression is alien to him. The stares he sends him are blank, without love nor warm he is well acquainted with. It seems like looking back at a total stranger. Ace gulps heavily.

 

“I left some important stuff. I’ll be quick,” he says with a monotonous voice.

 

The temperature seems to drop, but he can’t stop sweating buckets. “Yeah,” he manages to croak, as his throat is suddenly dry.

 

Sabo walks by and goes up the stairs, where their bedroom is. _Their_ _former_ bedroom it is. Last night is definitely empty and cold, worse than any winter Ace ever complained about. Ace follows the man’s back with his eyes. It feels so cold, so distant. Ace curses himself for being a scumbag for his man. He really doesn’t deserve all the kindness Sabo has showered himself with in the past. Ace definitely hurts Sabo, and it’s entirely his fault.

 

Ace steels his heart and walks up the stairs. He stops by the door, watching silently for a moment as Sabo is dumping some books to his bag. His act clears up most part of the desk both of them used to share together. Ace’s eyes wander to the little desk next to it, where a frame of the two of them smiling widely to the camera still stands there. Something tugs painfully at his chest.

 

Ace forgets how time flies because Sabo is just about to pass him by the door when he’s sent back to reality. Sabo doesn’t look at him in the eyes this time, and just seems to want to get away as soon as possible from there. But Ace catches him by the arm, stopping him. “Hey,” he says softly.

 

Sabo doesn’t say anything in return, eyes still downcast.

 

“I want you back.”

 

Something in Sabo’s expression hardens. Maybe it’s the way his jaw clenches so hard that give it away, or maybe the glare in his eyes that seems to burn with something. Maybe it’s anger, maybe it’s frustration. Ace feels way much worse.

 

“Let me go,” Sabo says flatly. He still looks downward.

 

Ace doesn’t want to let go, so he’s tightening his grip. “Sabo, hear me ou—“

 

Sabo’s eyes snap up suddenly, drilling his stare straight to Ace’s core, stopping him from saying more. Truthfully, it frightens him. Those glares are deadly, and he’s never seen it before on the man he’s holding right now. Those eyes scream disappointment, exasperation, exhaustion, and pain like never before. Ace is holding his breath as his hand slowly let go of the man.

 

Then Sabo just walks him by, down the stairs and out the front door without looking back. Ace stands at his spot for who knows how long. Contrary to how still he is, his mind is reeling with questions, many of it screaming _regrets_ and _cowardice_ and _what to do_.

 

His thoughts halt when a memory surfaces to the forefront of his mind, when Luffy was phoning him just earlier that day. _This time, don’t mess up_ , he has said.

 

_Don’t mess up. This time, don’t mess up._

 

It echoes several times in his brain until he groans out. “Ahhh, goddammit!”

 

_Just now I messed up again! Stupid!_

 

Ace punches the wall next to him, trying to get a grip of himself, before bolting out from his spot to chase after Sabo. He might be too late, considering how long he has been standing around, but he won’t give up. He refuses to let things be, because it’s so thoroughly messed up, and Sabo deserves something much better than this.

 

.oOo.

 

Sabo walks out of the house he has been living under for the past couple of years. He tries to control himself, but fails terribly. He feels like standing on an edge, and his emotions are boiling over. So many conflicting feelings are surfacing, and he can’t think straight anymore. He wants away, but he also wants to stay.

 

He gets inside his car, punching the key in but not gearing it on. He put his hands on the steering wheel, head resting above them.

 

He’s tired. So utterly tired. If only he has a power button, he wants to switch himself off for a while. He’s sure he’s overheating now with all his emotions scattering all over the place. He also doesn’t know what to do anymore. Because he’s mad with Ace, but he’s missing him too. So much that it hurts.

 

 _“I want you back.”_ Ace has said to him. Just as usual, Ace’s words scream dominance. He never asks, he just says whatever is on his mind, like it’s an absolute order. He never backs down when his pride is on the line, and he never apologizes.

 

Sabo can’t take it anymore. Not this time. Because enough is enough. He needs to get away if he wants his sanity intact. Because dealing with Ace has always been troublesome and annoying. Many times a pain in the ass too. But he loves him, so he’s always enduring it. It’s not like he’s never speaking up about it with Ace. The man is simply too prideful to admit it. And Sabo has enough.

 

The man sighs tiredly, his fingers treading his blonde locks as he sits back.

 

 _It’s over, huh._ He thinks solemnly, giving up.

 

He’s just gearing the engine on when the front door slams open. Ace lingers for a few seconds by the doorstep, seems taken aback by the fact that Sabo is still not leaving yet. Just as he is moving forward with a determined look on his eyes, Sabo gets on the road and flees.

 

The blonde knows Ace is running after him. The raven-haired male is screaming out, “Sabo!” and it’s near behind him.

 

Just as Sabo is about to speed up, Ace hastens his pace to a mad dash and seconds later he outruns the vehicle. He gets a few feet away in front of the car, before stopping abruptly and turning around. He braces himself.

 

Sabo nearly screams. He pushes down on the brake so hard that it upsets the muscles on his feet momentarily. The tires screech on the road, and the car stopped just shy away from the other man. Both of them are panting hard, one from sprinting like a madman so suddenly while the other from the near-traumatic mental image burning into his mind.

 

Ace wipes away the sweat raining down his face with the sleeves of his shirt. The shirt Sabo gave to him on his last birthday to simply annoy him because he knows how much Ace hates long sleeved-shirt. But it actually feels nice on him so he wears it often. Oh the irony.

 

Ace walks to the side of the passenger's seat, knocking on the window. “Sabo, will you let me in? We-,” he pauses to take a breath, “We need to talk.”

 

Sabo’s mind doesn’t think of anything when he unlocks the car and let the man take a seat next to him. He is still in the middle of pure shock. The scene just a minute before is still running over and over in his memory, it almost makes him feel sick.

 

Silence engulfs the two men as they are still catching their breath and trying to collect their thoughts. It is Sabo who snaps first.

 

“What the hell do you think you were doing?! I almost run you over!”

 

Ace takes a last calming breath before answering, “Yeah, that was stupid. I always mess up one way or another, I almost made you kill me this time. It’s—“ he pauses, his pride be damned, “I’m sorry.”

 

Sabo looks at him with wide eyes, certain that he’s hearing things. “Wha-what did you say?” because Ace has never said _those_ words, not to anyone, not to him.

 

“I’m sorry, Sabo. I truly am. I-I just-“ he chokes on his own words, trying to swallow the heaviness of saying it out loud, _because Sabo deserves much better_ , he says to himself, “I just realize how much I’ve been a jerk to you, not only lately but all the time, and I.. I don’t know how to fix this but I know you deserve better. I—“ he pauses again, trying to find the right words. Because he really doesn’t want to break things any more than it’s already in broken pieces.

 

Sabo is silent, confused and stunted. He tries to process what Ace has said, tries to find what response he has to say in return, but everything fails as he can’t come up with anything. Because he can’t think, he only feels.

 

The other man looks up at Sabo and his heart just crumbles. He moves his hand up to the blonde’s face and wipes away the tears running down his cheeks, because suddenly Sabo is crying, and the man himself doesn’t even realize it until then.

 

Sabo inches back and looks away from Ace, wiping vigorously at his cheeks. He tries to suppress his emotion from bursting out, but it seems that it’s already leaking anyway. And he still doesn’t know what to say.

 

Ace, on the other hand, has decided right then and there of what to say. _Because this person deserves much better than me_. “I’m sorry for everything. I won’t hurt you anymore, so… I guess it’s goodbye. Take care of yourself, Sabo,” he says before getting out of the car and walking back to the direction of his house, leaving Sabo without waiting for a word in return.

 

A couple of seconds tick by before Sabo completely breaks. He gets out of his car and looks at Ace’s retreating back. He cries out desperately, “Ace!”

 

The man turns around slowly, staring at him with eyes full of regrets and pain. Sabo is just as bad. He can’t hold his tears then. He just let the streams fall out as it gets harder to breathe. “Ace…” he whispers out.

 

Ace’s mind halts completely. His body just moves without him thinking about it any longer. He gets closer to Sabo and pulls the man tenderly into his embrace. Sabo is still sobbing, now onto his shoulder, as he tightens his hold slowly. “Sorry…” he mutters under his breath, trying to convey how much he genuinely means and feels.

 

They hug and cry for quite some time, until Sabo calms down. Ace pulls back a little to be face to face with the younger man, cupping his face in his hands with the softest touch he can manage. Sabo’s stopped crying, but his cheeks are still wet, so he wipes them with his thumbs. He kisses Sabo in the temple, before resting both of their foreheads together.

 

“Ace,” Sabo calls out weakly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Don’t leave me, please,” he says pleadingly.

 

Ace almost blurts out _But it’s you who were leaving me behind_ , but he now knows not to. But on second thought, he _is_ the one leaving Sabo just now, quite literally. Ace chuckles silently, _oh the irony_.

 

Ace says, “I won’t leave. I’m sorry about before. Sorry about… everything, really. I hurt you bad. I’m sorry I-“

 

Then Sabo kisses him. Every unspoken word is shared in that chaste gesture, and somehow they can just understand each other again. All the pain and mental suffering Sabo has to endure, all the regrets and guilt Ace has gone through, everything melts away as they embrace each other in a silent moment of love and forgiveness.

 

Ace swears he will change for the better this time. If Sabo does everything for him, sacrifice many things for him, it’s just right to do as much back for him.

 

_Because Sabo deserves much better, and we both need each other._

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at, like one in the middle of the night, and now it's five in the morning and i'm so tired. so please excuse me if there is anything wrong or weird within the story (like how the bag Sabo brings to stuff his books in just mysteriously disappeared) because i nearly faint here writing this.
> 
> anyway, do you like it?
> 
> C ya~


End file.
